


There's No Place I'd Rather Be

by TinySpiney



Series: I See You [16]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Role Reversal, Android Cole Anderson, Android Elijah Kamski, Android Gavin Reed, Android Hank Anderson, Android Jeffrey Fowler, Gen, Human Connor (Detroit: Become Human), Human CyberLife Tower Connor | RK800-60 (Detroit: Become Human), Human Upgraded Connor | RK900, Role Reversal, but oh well if ya know the series then you understand whats goin on, the human and android tags dont exactly make sense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-12
Updated: 2020-08-12
Packaged: 2021-03-05 23:13:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,848
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25853410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TinySpiney/pseuds/TinySpiney
Summary: Title is from Rather Be by Clean Bandit feat. Jess Glyne!!I really wanted to write a sort of birthday special for the twins since their birthday is coming up!!! And I figured, since I haven't really written older Cole, that I could do that too!!I know I'm not posting it on their birthday, but shshshshsh, I'm excited and want to post this now
Relationships: Cole Anderson & Connor, Cole Anderson & Connor & CyberLife Tower Connor | RK800-60 & Upgraded Connor | RK900 & Gavin Reed, Cole Anderson & Elijah Kamski, Cole Anderson & Gavin Reed, Cole Anderson & Hank Anderson, Cole Anderson & Jeffrey Fowler, Cole Anderson & Original Female Character(s), CyberLife Tower Connor | RK800-60/Gavin Reed
Series: I See You [16]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1730275
Kudos: 3





	There's No Place I'd Rather Be

**Author's Note:**

> Title is from Rather Be by Clean Bandit feat. Jess Glyne!!
> 
> I really wanted to write a sort of birthday special for the twins since their birthday is coming up!!! And I figured, since I haven't really written older Cole, that I could do that too!!
> 
> I know I'm not posting it on their birthday, but shshshshsh, I'm excited and want to post this now

_ August 11th 2102 9:32 AM _

  
  


If he didn’t still live at home, then this would be so much easier. Planning a surprise party was...well, it was surprisingly difficult. But Cole was goddamn determined to give his dad and uncle an amazing birthday. It would be hard to top some of the stuff they were able to do in recent years, but it was still going to be something special. Once the planning was out of the way everything would be so much easier. Then everyone would only have to worry about gifts and being in their places when the two in question got back to the house. Cole, being the self-declared party master that he was, knew it would be amazing. He just needed a few more things and then it could be perfect. Though it wouldn’t be an Anderson family event without  _ something _ going all wonky at some point, but that could be worked around. The party was going to be great. 

Something pinged in Cole’s head, causing him to yelp in surprise and quickly look around for the device that made the noise. Then it hit him.  _ It was him. _ With a sigh and a hand going through his hair, he opened the message from Uncle Caleb saying he’d absolutely take Connor out for lunch. Cole threw a triumphant arm in the air and then went about tidying up his room. His mind wandered, as it usually did with mind numbing tasks, and it went back to the thing it usually did. Even at nineteen, he was still trying to figure out being an android. Despite the fact that he was young when he was put into the body, despite being in and out of android bodies for thirteen years. It was...an adjustment. But he knew his dad struggled at times as well, so at least he wasn’t alone in it. Sometimes, that meant the world. 

Soon enough, his room was clean, and he got to work on some of his assignments. Classes were mostly online nowadays, though there were the stubborn few who attended classes. Cole was one of the stubborn few. He even had a class with one of the old Deviant Leaders! Josh was a really cool professor, and they would talk sometimes after class about his Grandpa Hank and how he helped the revolution in the eleventh hour. Cole could never believe how his Grandpa Hank had ever done the things he did. Both as a machine and as a deviant. But he  _ was _ built for some of those things, so it wasn’t entirely lost on Cole as he thought about it. Hell, sometimes he read about his grandfather in class. How much he had grown and changed over the decades. Who he had become in relation to the deviants’ cause. 

Schoolwork on the mind, Cole rushed out the door after giving his old dog a kiss on the head, and locked the door behind himself as he practically flung himself at his car and went on his way to school. Josh was gonna have to talk to him after class again if he was late to any more of them. Talking to his  _ grandfather’s _ friend after class was...awful to say the least. Grandpa Hank always found out sooner or later. So Cole started up his old hunk of junk car and made his way to the university. 

  
  


\---

  
  


_ August 15th 2102 1:50 PM _

  
  


Everyone was in their places, Daisy was even hiding with Cole behind the door. Even Damian and CJ made it to the party. All they had to do now was wait for the Anderson twins to walk through the front door, shout surprise, and then they could get the party started! Cole had decorated the house in a rush as soon as his father left. Uncle Nines, Uncle Gavin, and Daisy helped of course. It was a family event. Cole lamented the fact that his Grandpa Jeff and Uncle Eli couldn’t get there early enough to help set up, but they were there early nonetheless. With or without their help, the decorations would have been amazing. They still were. Cole genuinely loved the way Daisy decorated the house, even if he’d have to vacuum up glitter for a  _ long _ time. 

Eventually the door opened to pleasant chatter between the twins. As soon as they were actually in the living room, everyone sprang up and shouted surprise at the two. They looked shocked and bewildered. Cole wondered for a second if this was a good idea. What if it wasn’t a good idea and his dad started freaking out from the sudden loud noises. But instead of becoming a puddle of terrified tears, he laughed. Cole watched in awe and pride as his father and uncle laughed and came further into the house to hug their loved ones. The grin spreading across his father’s face was...so much. The hug he engulfed him in, the familiar feeling of a hand running through his hair. With that over and done with, the fun could begin. Cole was well aware he sounded like a little devil when he said it. That he had a suspicious hunch to his shoulders like a scheming madman. 

But the party continued on. Jackie, James, and Charlie arrived fashionably late and joined the festivities. Honestly speaking, Cole was glad there was another teenager at the house. He’d known Charlie for a long time and they were practically siblings with how close they were. Basically, Cole was looking for some reprieve of being  _ such _ a good party host, and sought out his best friend. She decided to upgrade into one of the older ST300 androids, and he thought the face plate could use some tinkering so it really looked like her. But Charlie liked the face the body came with, so he never said anything about it. Once she was in his sights, he politely stole her away from her conversation with his Uncle Nines, and off to the side. 

  
  


“Hey, would you believe me if I told you that I forgot to get my dad and uncle presents?”

“You were too focused on the party, weren’t you.” Charlie deadpanned and shook her head, her ponytail swishing with her movements. “Dude, just tell them that the party is their gift.”

“I can’t do that! That’s… I dunno, that feels weird to do.”

“Then...don’t? Listen man, I can’t really help you here.”

“I know, you are but a mere mortal in my godliness of party throwing.” Cole heard a snort from his uncle and chose to ignore it. “Actually, let me talk to Uncle Nines about it. Since you’re of no  _ real  _ help to me.” 

  
  


Cole playfully stuck his tongue out when Charlie smacked him in the arm. They exchanged a few crude gestures and remarks, all done through fits of giggles, and then Charlie went on her way to chat with some of the other attendants. The party was going great in all honesty. Also in all honesty, Cole was impressed with himself. He only had a little help from his family regarding all the planning. The most help came from his Uncle Nines, of course, no one else had known the two as long. Which was the exact reason why he would be the best to talk to about his current... _ predicament. _ Not that he couldn’t smooth it over effortlessly! But he was better with party planning than he was with gift giving, hence why he had put it off until the very last second. Which seemed to be the current one. 

He messaged his uncle to keep it on the down low. The two of them milling about and going around the party as casually as they could while figuring out what to do. Basically, he could do fuck all. The party was already well underway and everyone was there. The only one who wasn’t was Chris, but he forgot he had a doctor’s appointment the same day so they let him have a pass. Cole thanked his uncle for his help anyway and went back to being engrossed in the family gathering. It was still a lot of fun though! They played games, told stories about the twins, ate some cake, and then it was time for some presents to be opened. Cole shuffled his feet nervously against the cabinet, silently cursing himself for picking up his Uncle Gavin's habit of sitting places he shouldn’t. The cabinet door gently  _ clunked _ against the wood every time he moved his feet. Luckily, no one seemed to notice. 

The first presents were from the Millers; old physical photographs of Chris and the twins when they all first started at the DPD, CJ said something about them living on longer with people who would virtually live forever. A hush fell over the room as the twins teared up, and Cole could tell that today was going to be an emotional day. But he watched his father smile, and beckon the two of them over to give them kisses on their foreheads. Oh yeah, he was Damian’s uncle. Cole forgot about that. Uncle Caleb did the same thing, and the two thanked the Millers profusely. If the other gifts were going to be  _ that _ meaningful and  _ that _ emotional, then there were going to be waterworks. From both of them. Caleb was very emotional as the years went by, letting himself grow and change with the world around him. Though, Cole reflected on it with a small smile as he watched his father thank the Millers over and over again, both of them had. 

The other gifts were just as meaningful. Though, and thank fuck, not as emotional as the photographs. Charlie got each of them gag gifts that related to inside jokes the two families had over the years. Jackie and James elected to get them personalised mugs with their names on them. Because that wasn’t a weird thing to get someone. Though Cole watched as his dad got all excited because apparently that wasn’t a normal spelling for his name. Uncle Eli and Grandpa Jeff got them some physical books, and some more books, and some more books. Uncle Eli said something about cleaning up his house and finding books he thought the twins would like. Cole thought his uncle’s eyes were young to bug out of his skull. Despite knowing that wasn’t how an android’s eyes worked. 

Uncle Nines got them some plush animals. Like, the really,  _ really _ big ones. His dad got a Saint Bernard, and his uncle got a bear. Everyone who knew the reason behind the dog got a little sad. But it did little to dampen the mood. Uncle Gavin and Daisy got them some new clothes, hoodies and pajamas sort of stuff. Though no one missed the whisper that Gavin would give Caleb a more... _ private _ gift when they got home. It was innocent enough, Cole helped Gavin pick out the stupid googly eye packets. It was hell trying to stick them all in places where they knew they wouldn’t be found until a while later. Cole made his uncle promise to send him a clip of the first pair of googly eyes being found, it was going to be great. Then it was Grandpa Hank’s gifts. He had digital copies made of the picture from Cole’s sixth birthday party, it had slight depth to it, like those old 3D bookmarks. Cole watched his father and uncle immediately burst into tears, then as his grandfather wasn’t far behind. 

As the festivities died down and the guests started to go home, Cole was left with his dad and uncle cleaning up a little. During it, they got a call from Chris wishing them happy birthday and that he would stop by when time allowed it. Cole listened in as he cleaned. They would have loved to have him at the party, and everyone missed him. Caleb said something about how Chris was ninety-six that year, so honestly, it wasn’t all that hard to believe that he couldn’t make it. Which caused a whole mess of swears and jabs at the twins for being eternally in their thirties. It wasn’t meant to hurt, they all knew that. But Cole also knew how touchy the subject was for his father. Soon enough the conversation topic changed and then came to an end as Chris said he needed to go. Pleasantries were exchanged and ‘I love you’s were said, then it was just the three of them in the kitchen. Caleb sighed loudly and said something about being human. 

  
  


“Sure would be nice to age, y’know. Even with all the gettin’ old shit.” Cole turned to see his uncle unusually serious, brows furrowed in concentration. “Chris was right, CJ was right. We’re forever young, we won’t die unless something really bad happens.”

“We’re not human anymore, but that doesn’t mean we’re not us.” Cole set the plates and forks in the sink and shrugged. “Doesn’t mean we can’t keep their memories alive. People die three times.”

“The first is upon discovering death, the second upon physical death, the third upon the last time their name is spoken.” Dad looked proud. He put a hand on his brother’s shoulder and motioned for Cole to come closer, he did. “Cole’s right, we’ll keep them alive.”

“I hope so…”

  
  


Uncle Caleb looked less than convinced, but Cole got a message saying not to press it. So he didn’t. If Dad said not to press it, then he wouldn’t. Uncle Caleb’s happiness was important. After all, he was old now. Apparently old people got touchy with their age. When Cole voiced this, he watched as his uncle’s face twisted into one of horrified amusement and he started laughing. All of the tension lifted from the air as he did. Things were...good. Things went absolutely perfectly despite it being an Anderson family event. Usually something happened and everything had to be shuffled around to account for whatever had gone wrong. But today was flawless. Aside from Uncle Chris mentioning being old and the other Millers saying something about relative immortality. But it was perfect otherwise, and Cole wouldn’t have it any other way. He was pretty sure his dad and uncle would feel the same. 

He just hoped they still would once they found out that he  _ completely forgot _ about getting them gifts. Well, okay, he knew they wouldn’t mind. But he just hoped they wouldn’t poke fun at him for it. Considering he kinda sorta  _ did _ put it off until he forgot about it and remembered it the day of the party. Because, y’know, there was no way he was that good and gift giving. So he shoved it out of his head until he realised everyone probably got them gifts. Thus resulting in the embarrassment of not actually having something for them, even though they both absolutely deserved something. Books, or letters in the very least. Something older, something with a lot of value to them emotionally. Fuck. 

Cole decided to bit the bullet and tell them he had  _ completely fucking forgotten _ to get them gifts. Not that he needed to! But he had wanted to, and he didn’t. Which sucked. He turned to his dad and uncle and awkwardly cleared his throat. Uncle Caleb raised a brow and smiled, Dad pointed out that they didn’t need to do that anymore since they weren’t human. Thus meaning he had something to say. Cole silently cursed his dad’s detective skills and leaned against the counter. 

  
  


“So I...kinda forgot to get you guys presents.” Cole wrung his hands together and then gave an overly relaxed shrug. “I’m not great with buying gifts, so...yeah.”

“Word through the grapevine is that you put the party together for us.” Caleb smirked and then ruffled Cole’s hair like he used to when he was a kid. “If you ask me, that’s a gift enough.”

“Mm, I think so too.” Cole watched Dad get a tad misty-eyed as he pulled his son into a tight hug. “Though the best gift, for me at least, is that you were here. That I’ve been around the sun another year with being able to watch you grow and change.” He pulled away and Cole watched as his father moved to wipe tears away from Cole’s cheeks. He didn’t realise it hit him that hard. “Honestly, Cole, you’re the best gift I could ever have. I’m just overjoyed that you want to share your life with me.”

“Oh,  _ come on. _ ” Cole scrubbed at the tears that started to fall and laughed through them. He pulled his dad and uncle into a tight hug, acutely aware of the fact that all three of them were crying like highschool kids. “I love you guys. A lot. More than I say, and more than you know.”

“We love you too, peanut.” Cole felt his father press a kiss to the side of his head. “Thank you for today.”

  
  


Happy birthday to Connor and Caleb Anderson. 

  
  
  
  



End file.
